You are in a canoe and just a few feet from the shore. Imagine that you are faci

Question

You are in a canoe and just a few feet from the shore. Imagine that you are facing the shore and that the lake is calm. Unfortunately, the paddle that you were using breaks into small pieces and you are left holding one piece in your hand while the rest of the pieces sink. Your friend suggests throwing the paddle forward towards the shore saying that it will cause a force to act on the canoe giving it the necessary acceleration to move forward and you could reach the shore. Do you agree with your friend? Explain your reasoning

Explanation / Answer

According to Newton's third law for every action there is equal and opposite reaction. So when you throw paddle towards shore you get a backwards push which moves you away from from the shore you were facing. So you don't agree with your friend.

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